AABANY continues its Bootcamp: Road to the Bench series with Part 2 - The Written Application on Wednesday, January 13, 2015 at Seyfarth Shaw.

This workshop will provide hands-on advice on how to present yourself and your accomplishments most successfully. Examples of judicial application forms will be provided in advance and participants are encouraged to begin filling them out. During the workshop, you will learn about common mistakes candidates make, and how to avoid them. How do you choose your best cases, references, and attributes? How do you write the essay or cover letter? How do you handle shortcomings?

The program is currently in formation. Speakers and curriculum are available here. Participants are encouraged to ask specific questions about the documents.

In 2015, no fewer than five bills seeking to reform the EB-5 program have been introduced in both the House and the Senate, all proposing different measures for reform and improvement. When the EB-5 regional center program was due to expire on Sept. 30, 2015, it was extended through a temporary government funding bill, a “continuing resolution,” until Dec. 11, 2015 and then extended again until December 16, 2015. During the final weeks, a bipartisan, bi-cameral working group continued to churn out working drafts of the new rules that included an increase in the minimum investment amount from $500,000 to $800,000 for TEAs (no change on the non-TEA $1 million number), expanding the current two definition of TEAs to four, and introducing a Sarbanes-Oxley style certification requirement on EB-5 Regional Centers, among many others. Then, on the eve of December 16, the working group abruptly announced that no new rules would be implemented and the current program would be temporarily extended until September 30, 2016. As such, 2016 will be a critical year for EB-5 as potential investors seek to utilize the program before changes are implemented.

On January 25, the New York State Bar Association will hold their 2016 Celebrating Diversity Reception and Trailblazer Award Ceremony at the New York Hilton Midtown (1335 Avenue of the Americas) honoring Christopher S. Auguste. We are proud to co-sponsor this special event to explore opportunities for professional development and enrichment through the New York State Bar.

AABANY is seeking nominations for the 2015 AABANY Law Firm Diversity Award. AABANY has given out this award since 2014 to recognize a lawfirm's extraordinary efforts to improve diversity in our profession. For detailed information about the award and selection criteria, please refer to the application form. The deadline for nominations is January 15, 2016. The recipient will be presented at the Annual Dinner on February 24, 2016.

On the second Wednesday of every month, AABANY holds a free legal clinic at the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. Please also consider volunteering at these clinics. The next clinic will be held on January 13, 2016. Email june.lee@aabany.org to join the effort.

Outstanding Committee of the Year Award

This award is presented to an AABANY Committee that has made exceptional contributions to AABANY and its membership during the 2015-2016 fiscal year through active engagement with members and non-members, through robust programming that achieves the mission of AABANY and such Committee and through demonstrated leadership of its Committee Chairs.

Any AABANY director, officer or active member may nominate an AABANY Committee for the Outstanding Committee of the Year Award by submitting this Nomination Form. Self-nominations are encouraged. All completed Nomination Forms must be submitted no later than Friday, January 15, 2016, 11:59pm EST in order to be considered. All nominations will be acknowledged promptly after receipt.

Inaugural Outstanding Event of the Year Award

This award is presented to the organizer(s) of an AABANY event or event series held during the 2015-2016 fiscal year that has had an exceptionally positive impact to AABANY and its membership by addressing one or more pressing needs of our members, promoting the mission of AABANY and raising the profile of the organization. Organizer(s) being nominated can be an AABANY Committee or one or more individual(s) who are AABANY members.

Any AABANY director, officer or active member may nominate an AABANY Committee or individual AABANY member(s) for the Outstanding Event of the Year Award by submitting this Nomination Form. Self-nominations are encouraged. All completed Nomination Forms must be submitted no later than Friday, January 15, 2016, 11:59pm EST in order to be considered. All nominations will be acknowledged promptly after receipt.

Both the Outstanding Committee of the Year Award and the Outstanding Event of the Year Award will be presented to the winners at the AABANY Annual Meeting to be held on Thursday, February 11, 2016. The winners of the Awards will be notified one week in advance of the Annual Meeting. Any inquiries should be directed to Vice President of Programs and Operations Marianne Chow at marianne.chow@aabany.org.

NEW YORK – January 6, 2016 – The Asian American Bar Association of New York (“AABANY”) is excited to announce that it has launched an online educational resource for its historical trial reenactments. Since 2007, under the leadership and directions of Hon. Denny Chin of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Kathy Hirata Chin, Partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, AABANY has produced and performed a series of trial reenactments based on notable trials and cases involving Asian Americans. Performed by a core team of AABANY members at the annual conventions of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (“NAPABA”), each dramatic program utilizes the format of a reenactment of an historic trial or appeal. We invite you to visit reenactments.aabany.org to relive and to learn about important aspects of American history that have too often been overlooked, ignored, or forgotten.

In a packed, standing-room-only Ceremonial Courtroom of the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, in Brooklyn, on Tuesday, January 5, Hon. Peggy Kuo was sworn in during her investiture ceremony.

Joined by family, friends, colleagues and Judges of the Eastern District of New York, the ceremony was a joyous celebration of the newest addition to the court’s bench. Chief Judge Carol Bagley Amon welcomed the attendees, noting the great distances traveled by Magistrate Judge Kuo’s family, coming from all across the United States, with one aunt coming from Taiwan. Chief Judge Amon swore in Magistrate Judge Kuo, after which her parents, Chung Kai and Yuchih Kuo, performed the robing of the Eastern District’s newest judge.

SABANY and AABANY are thrilled to announce their 2015 Joint Bar Program, which offers eligible members reduced membership rates for a limited time offer.

Members of each organization will be eligible for a special reduction in their first year dues in the sister bar organization if they elect to join. Eligibility to receive this special dues reduction is limited to active, dues-paying members who are either new members or have not been a member of the sister bar organization in the last two years. To join, eligible members should complete the appropriate form and members will be contacted by the respective organization to process payment. This limited offer will expire on February 29, 2016.

This past year, the Government Service Public Interest (GSPI) and Pro Bono and Community Services (PBCS) Committees have been committed to providing AABANY members a greater range of pro bono opportunities.

These committees are surveying everyone’s interest in the pro bono initiatives that they are developing, so that they can determine how to best allocate AABANY resources. Training will be provided to you prior to your participation and will likely offer CLE credits. Click here for the survey: http://bit.ly/gspi2015

You can read in the Summer 2015 issue of the AABANY Advocate about a success story from the U Visa Representation Project, representing domestic violence survivors. Here is the link: http://bit.ly/uvisaproj

Membership Secretary Irene Tan is seeking interested law students to serve as Membership Committee Delegates for AABANY. As a Membership Committee Delegate, law students will participate on the Membership Steering Committee and have the opportunity to work with senior leadership to develop and execute key strategic membership initiatives for the organization.

Membership Committee Delegates are required to attend a minimum of four AABANY-sponsored events in a semester where the Membership Committee Delegate will assist with checking in attendees at events, distributing marketing materials, and promoting the organization. Membership Committee Delegates will be invited to participate on other Membership projects on an ad hoc basis.

This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in getting more involved in the organization. Membership Committee Delegates will attend AABANY events for free, quickly develop an expansive network within the organization, and contribute to and collaborate on membership initiatives for one of the largest minority bar associations in New York.

Help AABANY’s Career Placement Committee help you. Launched at the 2013 Fall Conference, the Career Placement Committee seeks to match qualified AABANY members with available legal positions. AABANY members who are actively seeking or are considering seeking a new position are encouraged to complete the Career Placement Committee Intake Form at http://bit.ly/cpc_intake2015 and email resumes/CVs to resume@aabany.org.

All information disclosed will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Career Placement Committee at careers@aabany.org.

Seeking hard-working volunteers to work on appellate matters. Great resume builder, as position entails researching and writing memos/draft opinions on civil and/or criminal matters. Part or Full-time. Willing to fill out forms for law school fellowship, if applicant is eligible.

Applications are now being accepted for AABANY’s 2015 Legal Internship Program. Open to college students, law students and law grads, AABANY is looking for a few talented, energetic and motivated interns to help plan and organize AABANY programs and events, provide research and administrative assistance and perform other tasks and assignments to advance and promote AABANY’s mission. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. For full details and information on how to apply go to bit.ly/Lgl_Intrn_Details.

The Office of the New York State Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau in New York City is offering a one (1) year law graduate fellowship focusing on the enforcement of civil rights law. Candidates with a background in civil rights are strongly encouraged to apply. Fellowship announcements can be found on AABANY's website under Resources, in the sub-menu item "Fellowships." To see current announcements for Fellowships go to http://bit.ly/aabany_flwshps.

Deputy Bureau Chief, Litigation Bureau, Office of the New York State Attorney General, New York

Associate Counsel, Service Delivery and Program Compliance, Office of People with Developmental Disabilities, Albany

Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, QBE America, New York

Managing Counsel, New York City Council, New York

For more information on these listings and other open positions go to the AABANY Career Center. Members must be signed in to have access to the Career Center. Either search by keyword or just hit "Search" at the bottom of the form to see a complete listing of jobs.